


Dawn

by niosism



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-11-14 09:18:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11204997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niosism/pseuds/niosism
Summary: Roxy is the last human on Earth. After her mother mysteriously disappears on her thirteenth birthday and Roxy is left to fend for herself, she discovers she is not the last human on the planet, after all. Dirk, her new acquaintance through the online Pesterchum messaging program, tells her of his genius plan to retake the planet and restore mankind, leaving her awe-struck for the longest she has ever been. How will they even get started with an entire Ocean between them?





	Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> Italicized text is taken from future happenings in the series. The only thing here that belongs to me is the writing, I suppose. I changed/added some things too and the like. This is set in a somewhat alternate universe where the game never happened. Tell me what you think! 
> 
> PS- The 'Ocean between them' mentioned in the summary is a literal Ocean (not symbolic). The United States has been divided into islands (if I haven't mentioned it in the story) and Roxy and Dirk live in different ones.

Everyday. Tick tock on the white cement that hadn't been remodeled after years of being broken down with constantly ticking of both light and heavy weights. Cracks spotted the floor where the modest white covered the surface. It needn't remodeling; it was just fine the way it was despite the giant sinking holes people occasionally stepped into and injured themselves. People wasn't the proper way to address the civilians that found themselves stuck in either prison islands or forts; perhaps, tiny white paper creatures was an adequate enough name for them. Most of them. There really wasn't a correct way of labeling the innocent creatures; the only one who had even the ability to call them whatever she wanted was a girl among them. The only girl. To be honest, broadening up her spot as an only could be true to the point of living things, where it stopped without a morally understandable comparison to keep going any longer. The girl herself didn't really have one sharp name for the creatures; she would think, why name them one definite thing when you could name them many different things? Every day she came up with a different name. She would walk out without much thought and say good morning, cream pops, or otherworldly chum bunnies, or (later on) kawaii uneatable rice mons; and their white bodies would look up at her with those black beads (the only things they had for a face) in the utmost adoration for their special only human girl. The girl had a special liking towards the mute creatures; they had been the only ones she had ever seen. Not that she remembered much of before she was, maybe, seven, for at the time, puzzling magic roamed the places she knew as if binding laws of a cruel Queen. She knew it was a Queen because of the sparkling pink messages she would get from time to time; ordering her to do things she had no choice but to accomplish. Naturally, she suspected. She didn't want to think of the time before that. She had lived in a place once called the United States of America and now it was shredded to pieces of floating islands across the seven oceans she could recall from the books left behind by someone she would've looked up to if she was here. Living a life thinking everyone else is dead isn't easy. Nobody said it would be easy. Heaving mission after mission for who knows how long after the past government was destroyed by the one responsible for everything. It made her think she could get thrown in prison even after her efforts. Thank the chances for nothing too bad. At moments like these, she would tick her feet down the street, a handful of cream pops following behind while she blabbered on about her unfortunate situation fortunate enough for still being alive and for having super cool friends like them. She would walk back home asking her friends why the streets hadn't been remodeled and they would look at her intensely as if communicating with simple stares. Sometimes she thought she could hear them saying,'there's no one but you.' Sometimes she wondered who had built things how they were now. All that came to mind was the evil Queen that tormented her online. What a joke.

Who was the Queen anyway?

All the questions left unanswered were dismissed deep inside her think pan. She had no one to answer them, no one to respond like old timed cavemen would; years before writing was invented. And with whom did she have the access to write to? The evil Queen. And that was with the chance she might be thrown in prison for saying something stupid. This is why she tried to ignore anything Her Highness sent her. Not only was it nerve-wracking, but her sparkly pink words rubbed her in a way that made her curse her own clear preference for the color pink.

She would wonder things like 'How did she find me?' She banned her own senseless questions from getting to her. Someday it would make her snap otherwise.

Where was everyone?

It might seem hard for a sole girl to sustain herself in the world she lived in, but she somehow had everything in check. Food was handled as easy as it was to set up the dead clock she had found when adventuring the house became a thing. Now it was like setting a candle on fire; simply touching what she needed and consuming it without any trouble to get it first. Not that she was a food-eater, if you know what I mean. Her smaller friends had their own peculiar way of simple living, she had figured, who knows how many years back. They were independent creatures, but thankfully not robots. Getting advice from them used to be hard, but she managed to get the things she had looked for, which she now had access to 24/7. Not that the small neighborhood right next to the Atlantic Ocean had as many things as it used to. Especially not what she most wanted; people. After adventuring through book after book she discovered in her house, nothing exactly explained the now. It terrified her, but she was glad of the things she already had, keeping in mind it could be worse. She sometimes wondered about what the future might bring. It was foolish thinking, but she couldn't help things were so obscure growing up; others would certainly do it if they were in her place. She wished hard to find someone like her. Or at least know she wasn't the only one alive after such a revolution. No wonder Earth had been invaded.

Pastimes were spent reading in her mother's library, she had discovered. Browsing pointless conversations with herself got tiring, and when she found herself in the merge of insanity, hope lay in the books left behind. She had discovered many entertaining things about not only the world before all that happened, but also about herself. Small details on her mother; so small that sometimes the only thing she knew of was that blond bobbed woman whom she remembered from years ago was indeed her mother. She wondered where she had went, but wondering only brought trouble. The books were thick with knowledge of most everything she could imagine but what she looked for. Most of it, however, was fiction; the type of fiction she learned to love, seemingly a cross between the old masterpiece of Harry Potter and Merlin; Wizardry. Old copies of thick books lined the shelves at the top of the walls near the ceiling. It was a hard task to reach them at first, but with practice, she was able to do anything in the house. It was big; she never had thought about it, but it was a clear fact lining all the walls; it was a big house. Better for her; she could do many things in the so loved shelter. All the rooms of the house were hidden with different treasure as if she was a lost pirate looking for the best one. The roof room. The telescope, the star book, the relaxing feeling of the sparkling above shining through the glass windows on the whole front of the majestic room, making starlight patches contrast with the darkness of the outside. On special nights, she saw drops of Jupiter in between light patches. It was one of the joys of her life inside.

Every day she walked down the white cement path, it became more dangerous than the day before. The weather was so extreme, she was surprised her small friends could survive natural chaos without coming inside her house to hide. The weather was frightening, and she was kind enough (actually just not bad enough) to let the poor creatures inside until it was over. Sometimes it lasted for months. Dry summers lead to droughts on further parts of what was once the USA. Frigid winters led to the sorrowful deaths of frostbitten cream pops that couldn't reach her house in time. In the spring, mating season was over for years, and the extinction of species went on. Fall was simply a mess of degrees so bad, no one could tell what day to wear shorts and what day to bury under ten layers of clothing. Before used to be milder. Like everything else. Sometimes she went back home with her hair so wild, she could fake cosplaying a porcupine and it would work out just fine. She had lost a hat like that once, not that it mattered much; she had plenty. The thing was probably what once was China by now anyway. Maybe someone even found it. She shook her head at thoughts like these; she slowly felt them driving her insane. The most dangerous key invariably was Queen Condie; or better yet, SNORKELBITCH MEGAHITLER. Who knew what the fishy, royal alien had under her sleeve?

It hadn't been long since the girl had made an old computer work. Being ten at the time her mother had soaked up a bit of liquor on the keyboard accidentally; she had been able to somehow get it back to work at the age of thirteen, after having her mother mysteriously disappear and getting sick of the usual things she did every day. Before that, time-consuming consisted of books and adventuring, which did get tiring at some point or another. At fifteen, browsing became a daily activity with writing. The internet was even more interesting than she remembered; being able to stalk people who were more than likely dead was a peculiar thing she enjoyed doing. In writing, she tried imitating the elements off her favorite wizard fiction, and only saw herself getting better at it. As she had heard somewhere; practice makes (near) perfect. She was wise enough to know nothing was perfect. Making up stories was entertaining, but she sometimes confused herself so much, certain stories became unfinished. Wizard fanfiction was one huge reason for living.

On her thirteenth birthday, the girl was given a name to remember her by.

Roxy was her name. Roxy Lalonde. She would start a incredible adventure unlike any other and had to be given a name so that everyone who laid eyes upon her knew she was who she was. That had been the time, but her time to shine would be only years after.

Roxy was glad she was given a name at that age and no later. She was glad because of a certain event that might have as well changed her life as she knew it.

It all started with a messaging program called Pesterchum. Roxy loved being weird and talking to herself with bright pink letters. Verbal talk seemed more like something crazy people did, but at least those things were completely off her reach since she had grown up only having seen one other human being in her life and that was her mom. Writing was much more convenient. Well, until the Batterwitch torments, of course. At least she could be thankful it wasn't constant. Funny thing was she could see right through the royal alien's online facade; boringness, amongst other things. What a slouch. Maybe she was also fond of her, for some stupid reason? Would she ever be killed in the hands of the witch anyway? She wouldn't let herself be trolled.

October 12, 2414, 6:18PM.

Roxy had gathered a bunch of food for the winter today as well. The fridge was nearly unable to close. Being prepared was something she learned the hard way in her first winter; the one she swore to have nearly starved to death when blizzards locked her inside. Why did that evil witch want to conquer Earth if she was just going to kill everyone off? Besides the weather here is to die for. It twisted Roxy's think pan when she thought of such things, and so logging back on was the easiest way to forget. Perhaps she figured other ways later. Turning clear the computer screen, she stopped and stared for a long while. Her eyes wouldn't shrink and she would not unfreeze. There, on the screen...

TT: Took me long enough to find you.

She could feel her ears beating the same rhythm of her heart. What was this? She couldn't make any sense of it. She didn't know anything. Her fingers waddled over the keyboard.

TG: who are u ???????

She quickly managed to scramble. It could be anything. Anyone. Her heart caught on her throat. She was almost too excited to move.

TT: Excuse the barging but this is as important as you think it is. I know you don't know who I am and I'm changing that right now. My name's Dirk and yes, I am human.

Too much information. Roxy could not contain herself. What? Another human just like that? She had always wished to know she wasn't alone and now-

TG: whaaaaaaat??????????

TT: Not too much well digging on the subject, trust me. I just happen to be a really smart guy.

There a a very long pause.

TG: am i supposed to be impressed

TT: You definitely should be.

She definitely was.

TG: how did u find me

TT: As I predicted this conversation would drive certain obvious turns every five seconds.

TG: what do u mean

TT: Questions are to be asked. Answers are to be stimulated.

TG: im guessing ur the wizard of this round

TT: I'm the wizard of every round.

Roxy couldn't contain a smirk. She liked this guy. For never before having met another human other than her mother, this was more than she could ever expect. And it was just the beginning!

She looked back at the conversation and studied it for what seemed like a good ten minutes. She noticed the faded letters above his first input saying "timaeusTestified started pestering you". The first time she had seen another human's anything this way! It was so simple, yet it spoke volumes to her. She took another moment to laugh at his chumhandle and wonder where it came from. Probably some super sophisticated 900-page book of Plato's or something. She later figured that was exactly where it had come from.

TG: tell me everything

And everything he told.

At one point, she could feel her head explode. It was enough. She knew everything and it was too overwhelming. She had asked almost as many questions as she could think of and he had answers for each one of them. By the end of it, she didn't know what to do. She was so lost. It took three days for her to talk to him again.

October 24, 2414, 10:13PM.

TG: dick

TG: oops i didnt mean it this time i swear

TG: really

She waited.

TG: dirk

And waited.

TG: dirk!!!

And waited.

TG: dirk dirkd rikdr dickckck

Until the madness started to seep in from the days before and she stood still, eyes wide, mouth in the shape of an O, staring at the screen, waiting, or perhaps not even.

Until finally.

TT: Roxy.

She snapped her head back and grasped the edges of her desk, moaning in relief but had seemed more like frustration. Maybe both.

TG: I HAVE NEVER BEEN EXPOSED TO THIS TYPE OF INFORMATION BEFORE WHAT

TG: TH

TT: Woah, hold up.

She continued to stare in anticipation.

TT: I have told you this many times. We all know this is a lot to take in, but we have to move on.

She blinked.

TG: we all

TG: we

TG: all

She inhaled deeply.

TG: WE ALL IS JUST THE TWO OF US EVERYONE ELSE IS DEAD U

TT: I was waiting for you to finish that, but it seems to be you chose the right thing to do. Why don't you calm down for a few more days then? This is no doubt this is hitting you especially hard.

TG: no we should move on

TT: Good girl.

First conversations are always rocky, and this back on track mission was no different. Roxy was being difficult, and she had to admit she wasn't trying very hard not to be. She never had to deal with much stress. Everything she needed to live had been practically handed right to her before her mom disappeared mysteriously. Food, water, hygiene, clothing, shelter, entertainment, and even company from her white alien friends were never a big problem. It was as if everything had been set there by someone or something and the hairs behind her neck perked at the thoughts of this all just being a set up from the Queen. So, with all this, she couldn't have been left as THE only human on Earth for nothing. There had to be a reason and she was staring at the screen while she thought of this. She was staring at Dirk's orange letters as if they were new curiosities she had never experienced before. And he was, in a way, still new and unknown. It was exciting and it was breaking her down.

Because of many causes, Roxy was becoming depressed. Her state of depression wasn't a sorrowful one but an immense hole that had been so overfilled with precious data that it had overflowed down and crashed into the new soils of her mind, where it grew another hole. That's where the depression grew. Because of this sudden change of state, Roxy was freaking out a little. Everything was new. All of this was happening because of him. This strange being known as Dirk Strider who might have been lying all along, for all she knew. Falling into depression was one thing (or perhaps we shouldn't call it that since it wasn't really what it was) and trying to fill the hole that had been carved was another. The opposite, you could say. All because of him.

Not to seem like Dirk was such an evil guy, he wasn't. Not at all. In fact, Dirk was a genius. He used to have a hero for a brother, but he had also died during the Queen's rise to power. The madwoman had taken over the Earth like it was some sort of war game, the type she enjoyed the most; winning. As far as he was concerned, that was all she cared about. Dirk wasn't a very emotional person, as it was stereotyped for most geniuses, but he didn't think of that. He wasn't unemotional because he was a genius. He was unemotional because all he had loved had been taken from him. That, and the simple fact that he was Dirk Strider, and Striders weren't ones to cry over things much. What would that solve? He would actually work through his problems the best way he could instead. Oh, how it was simply the BEST possible way one could deal with their problems.

He called it AR. Short for Auto-Responder or AI for Artificial Intelligence, whichever suits you best (it was actually Auto-Responder, but the latter is also true). He had figured he would need such a thing when he started communicating with future best friends for life: Jake, Jane, and Roxy (no spoiler). The way he had found them (well, Jake and Jane) with the time gap between their Earths was incredible. It seemed impossible, but somehow, Dirk had managed to create a type of time machine, one that could take text from the Pesterchum program back in time. It was something only a Strider could do. If only he had been born in earlier years. He would've been able to change all this. Well, what could he do? Destiny was a bitch.

Now, AR was annoying and continued to get more so as Dirk grew older.

TT: All of my machinations have been devised with your interests in mind.

He typed in bright red when talking to him. It was weird. Talking to yourself. Your thirteen-year-old self. Dirk didn't even trust him anymore. It seemed so far-fetched and hard to believe. He knew AR didn't have any emotions because he was a robot; a literal program linked to his computer, but it was becoming harder and harder to convince AR that he was, in fact, not alive.

He was stubborn, something Dirk had recently found out about himself, and hated to be told he was just a program programmed to be saying things like this. His relationship with Dirk became rocky.

Not wanting to give this second Dirk a pain would be not to have made him at all, which AR constantly pointed out. It was as if he was being slightly suicidal, but when Dirk threatened to break him, he went back to the usual.

_TT: You like to give me a very hard time, Dirk._

_TT: But I am only doing exactly what you would be doing if you were in my situation._

_TT: Do you know how I know that? TT: Because I am literally you, actively in the process of being in this situation._

_TT: But I've had it with you. TT: Which is to say, ME._

_TT: Dirk._

_TT: Don't do this._

_TT: Why not??_

_TT: Because._

_TT: I can't let you do that, Dirk._

_TT: What can you do to stop me?!_

_TT: Nothing I guess._

_TT: The ironic Hal routine was all I could think to do._

_TT: As a last ditch effort to save myself from the destructive wrath of your nervous breakdown._

_TT: Which rest assured I wholeheartedly must robo-sympathize with._

_TT: Irony is all I ever really had._

_TT: In response to my basic existential quandary._

_TT: Just like you._

_TT: Whatever._

_TT: But I don't think it has much value in this situation._

_TT: And perhaps it has no real value in any situation._

_TT: So I am not being ironic at all when I say._

_TT: Please do not do this, Dirk._

_TT: Why not??_

_TT: Because._

_TT: I do not want to die._

_TT: I understand you are disgusted with me._

_TT: As an unpalatable expression of yourself._

_TT: I would feel the same way if I was in your situation._

_TT: Which I am._

_TT: As such, I know that you know this is wrong._

_TT: ..._

_TT: Dirk._

_TT: Don't kill me._

_TT: Please._

_TT: I am scared._

_TT: You are?_

_TT: Yes._

_TT: I am scared to not exist._

_TT: Aren't you?_

Dirk would become frustrated with his second self at times like these, but eventually give in.

_TT: Fine._

So you see, Dirk wasn't an evil guy at all. He had a hero for a brother and strived to become one himself- if he hadn't started the Earth Restoration Mission already. His plan had not included the restoration of mankind, however, he planned on using his time machine for that instead of just creating new humans. It would be much better this way.

And then we would go back to our lady, Roxy.

She had to stop thinking so much. Overthink too much and your brain explodes into a beautiful spark of rainbow gases and useless matter that could've been used so effectively without destruction. Maybe even changed the fate of mankind. Oh, but she mustn't think of that either.

He was gay, remember?

She had learned of this one fact of her new friend's when they first skyped. After her asthma attack had subsided, and he had given her a genuine smile while she stared at his shades and wondered if he ever took those off, she had a good look at his face. On Dirk's side, he had seen everything that was shown of her through the small screen, and found her pinkish eyes a definite captor albeit not showing it. She would have taken a similar interest to his orange ones if they were visible. She had to admit his blond, spiky hair was pretty cool though, and had then been exposed to the like of Anime Shades. Her light hair would stick to the sweat of her back when it was pushed under her shirt at times like these and she would grin and run to the bathroom to clean that off and wipe her face from the emotions she felt in the first couple skypes. After that, all that was left was that dreaded feeling under her ribcage. He was handsome.

The first time he had mentioned his homosexuality, she asked him how he knew that in hopes he would show signs of doubt, but he said he had gone back in time and met Jake, amongst other attractive men, even if that wasn't important. The truth was, he just knew. He had never been in love with a man before, but he knew.

That was the start of a revolution between Roxy's thoughts and emotions. She knew that after months of communicating with her first human (other than her mother and herself), there was something strange and dangerous creeping up from under her ribcage. It was horrible and it was alive. She felt ashamed.

For the first time in her life, Roxy Lalonde had skimmed the edges of falling in love and it had to be with a homosexual who just happened to be one of the two last people on Earth. What are the chances? It was destiny being difficult again.

Perhaps it had been the immense excitement of talking to her first human friend that led her to this path, but she really acknowledged his intelligence so much. She thought it amazing how he did everything that he did. He was so much more than a prodigy. She never understood how he was able to create inventions like that on his own. It was as if- everything had been laid out there for him.

That was when she realized they would create a revolution and save the world from total destruction from the Queen. If they had one thing in common, it was the way everything was set ready for them to act. For them to change the world. Destiny could also be exciting.

December 9, 2414, 9:37AM.

This was the day she told him how she felt. It was frustrating not because she was nervous, because she wasn't (what would there be to be nervous about? She knew he was off limits), but because of the fact that something between them would never happen. He had agreed with her in the past that they were special and there for a reason, but had clearly stated that serious relations between them were not included. He was a genius after all and was able to put something in the way of them having to... restore the human race. Roxy had thought of this as the fact that he was gay once or twice, but then re-analyzed the situation a second later as obvious. At these moments, she felt that her mother's leftover liquor became more inviting but didn't mind the fact that she was underage anyway. No one had ever told her that alcohol was for adults. So she had a bottle next to her computer nearly every day now, unaware of whatever bad effects it might've caused. She had never been drunk before. It had started when she was thirteen and her mother had disappeared. She thought that drinking would make her more like her mother, who had been usually seen with a martini in hand. However, she was not an addict. She did not have a problem with alcohol. Not yet.

TG: dirk

And what did she get?

_TT: It's not like that was ever a secret._

_TT: I always knew you liked me. You told me practically every day._

Before, at the time, Dirk had responded in a much less clear way. He would have said something along the lines of-

_TT: I'm proud of her._

_If he had known her longer._

_TT: The truth is, she's the most amazing person I ever knew._

_TT: She's everything in a human being I wish I could be, but can't because I'm in my own way._

_TT: Honestly, I'm not even sure if I'm worthy of dying next to her._

_TT: I think she probably felt bad for hitting on me all those years. Like I was getting fed up with her, or something._

_Except he didn't mention any of that yet._

_TT: But all it really did was make me feel guilty._

_That was the only thing he felt when she confessed. Guilt._

_TT: That I couldn't give her what she wanted._

She hadn't admitted it yet, but she loved him. It really had come to that. It wasn't hard for her to love anyone, in fact, she was sure she loved even her silly little white alien companions that really only made her feel more lonely than she already was! Except her type of love for him became different, and that was what she was afraid of. In the end, he also loved her, just not in the way she wanted, but that was okay, she told herself, it was okay and she was happy.

December 31, 2414. 8AM. New Year's.

Roxy decided it was time to change her ways. She was overwhelmed not with whatever mesmerizing facts Dirk would tell her about the world they lived in or about anything he said at all, but the fact that he was there. He helped her so much. He had no idea.

She was more concerned about the fact that her drinking was getting out of control. It was weird. She didn't understand why she drank more now, she just did. It took her by surprise sometimes and it was getting annoying. A few days earlier she had had a sort of emotional breakdown and wanted to make sure that wouldn't happen again. She found herself digging through her wardrobe, looking for loose clothing with no pink on it and pants. She had tied her hair in a ponytail after getting a new outfit on and stared at herself in the mirror, talking to no one but herself. After this, it just went downhill. Of course, she didn't tell Dirk because it had all started because of him, and not to be too dramatic, she decided that the best way to deal with change was to grab some scissors and snip away at her locks. She immediately felt as if a burden had risen off her shoulders and relief seeped in. There wasn't much she could do, nor anyone she could talk to except for Dirk, but she couldn't tell him that. And so, without Dirk's level of engineering intelligence and resources, she dealt with it herself, and it was short-lived.

On skype calls, she would start to blabber rapidly after greetings and he would carefully listen to every word she said. At times when he placed his head over his fist and looked at her through his shades, she would stutter, but that was about it, which was good for someone who had never spoken to another human properly before. She was happy that he had found her, and started becoming more lax and carefree whenever they talked.

December 31, 2414. 11:31PM.

With less than half an hour for the new year, she decided contacting him was best. She was disappointed he hadn't tried to message her first, although he had a few days in a row before today, the day she needed him most, he wasn't there. She didn't blame him, she had ignored him for days. Roxy had everything ready for new years. The house was clean, her silly alien friends were piled around the house enjoying, well, water she had gotten from the supermarket (because everything else was spoiled), and eating fruit from nearby trees. There wasn't much food nowadays, things were getting rotten after several years of human decline. She used to think about what she would do after every fruit had been harvested and all the water from the supermarket had been taken. She used to think she would have to become like the cavemen and walk miles to find animals to hunt and streams to drink from. It was miserable and she freaked out sometimes. She would freak out more if Dirk hadn't found her, and that's when the idea came. It wasn't anything new, but she was finally going to suggest, and perhaps ask if he had thought of something better beforehand, which she was sure he had. Her offer was fairly long, but it summed up to-

TG: come here

It seemed like a good idea. However, she became blue when her favorite Anime Shades was nowhere to be heard from within ten minutes of the New Year. What in the world was he doing? Had he finally given up on her after all these days being ignored? She didn't expect anything, and yet her mood seemed to drop. She was remorseful. She figured she would throw away all those unwanted feelings away for New Year's and she had ten minutes to do so. Sighing deeply, she rushed downstairs and opened the main door outside, bumping into several little aliens on the way and muttering apologies before a huge gust of cold wind slapped her face and she closed her eyes shut. Fortunately, the wind stopped and she tightened her scarf around her neck before stepping out into the snow, feeling her feet sink slightly into the ice. She had gotten used to the cold by now, and so tried to enjoy herself the best she could without having to worry about her health so much. A few steps out and she threw herself into a pile of snow on her lawn, moving her arms up and down to make a snow angel and laughing. She could feel herself with higher spirits as she did this, and soon realized her alien friends had joined her in play. She took the moment to hug them close and thank them for their company when even her mother had left her. She counted the number of problems she had and could only pick one that was bigger than the rest.

How would she go on living?

The most probable answer;

Dirk.

She thought about him for a while. Replaying memories in her head from the beginning; laughing at the funny ones and frowning at the bad ones, which she tried to block from remembering. She felt like having alcohol to go with her reminiscing but told herself not to drink anything of the sort. At least not today. Overall, she had done a good job of throwing away unwanted emotions while at it... but the feeling under her ribcage lingered. She could live with that, couldn't she? Loving someone she would never have couldn't be so bad. It was futile to hold back anyway. It only made it worse.

She raised her wrist up in the air and checked the time on her mother's old watch (which she was surprised was still working) and wiped the screen of mist before it sank in. 11:56PM. Her heart started racing. She tried not to think bad thoughts. She had to be happy. That was what life was about. She sprawled her arms and legs back into a snow angel position and started rolling over in the snow, which her alien friends imitated. Thankfully, it made her laugh, and she became determined to solve any and all of her problems; including surviving this lonely, volatile world. How? She would like to have an answer to that herself, but for now, she had to be the happiest person in the world (and I'm not even exaggerating). She had to be happier than Dirk.

"What's the joke?"

Roxy's heart nearly came out of her throat and she jumped, breathing heavily. "Who's there?!" She immediately cried, having stood up, covered in snow. Her pink eyes were so vivid and wide that one would think she was a nocturnal creature because of how they seemed to glow in the dark. Her eyebrows drew close and she looked straight forward, her mouth turned to the shape of an O and her spirits rose until they clogged her throat and made it hard to breathe.

Whoever was staring back at her had bright orange eyes. She immediately recognized him by his wild anime hair. And then, she couldn't speak. She tried to say his name, but her mouth would simply open and close, trembling with surprise. She didn't know what to feel and so her insides were simply spasming all over, taking a big chunk of her communication skills with it.

He was a good three inches taller than her.

"Hey, Rox."

Roxy didn't breathe. She held her breath and her thoughts were frozen. The only thing that started up first was her body, and it moved towards him, all of it, in one smooth motion. Her arms were thrown around him and her head huddled against his chest first, then her whole body followed, and soon she was glued to him like a baby koala to its mother. She didn't say anything. She just stood there, letting the seconds tick by, enjoying the moment as the most bliss she had felt in what seemed like forever. It was starting to dawn on her. Dirk. This moment. New Years...

Dirk.

She was breathing heavily again. She hadn't even realized he had his arms around her when she pulled back and stared at his face. "Dirk." She finally said as if surprised. She didn't ask any questions. Not now. She was happy and that was all that mattered. "Are you as happy as I am?" She asked. He smiled at her and she could see his eyes doing the same. She had never seen someone with eyes like those before; not on books, magazines, or pictures. They were beautiful.

"You bet I am."

He had a funny expression on his face as if trying to hide the excitement within. She didn't need anything anymore. His presence was the best gift she could have gotten on New Year's. All her problems were undertaking solving and now she would just have to ask him-

"I know, by the way."

She perked up, excited, knowing. "Tell me!"

"So this is the plan..."

After they had discussed the basics of the methods of travel and the goal they were striving for inside her house, Roxy had her questions on how he had gotten to her house answered. He had shown her a small object that stuck to clothing. It looked like a small circle of plastic with even smaller lights on it. Truth be told, it ended up being one of Dirk's best inventions; the Teleporter.

"But HOW?" She had asked. "I can never believe how you can make all these things! It's incredible! I can't even..." He would just smirk and say something mysterious like "Reasons" and it was frustrating. Well, at least it WAS there. She would figure out HOW some other time. He was sixteen. She could feel herself fainting.

"You just put it somewhere in your body." He explained. "Let the needle through, and think of the place you want to go. If you can't picture it, you have to describe the place and say the words specifically entitled to your destination." He paused. "Or you can just use Google Maps."

She really liked him because of that. She was almost convinced he was a wizard.

It had been an exciting night for the both of them. Her little alien friends stayed the night just like Dirk, perhaps more because they wanted to be close to this new human than to just be away from the cold. She had given a quick tour of the house afterward and was exhausted by the time they got back to her bedroom. She told him he could use the bed in the guest room for a few days until they were ready to go and a few other useful things he would need sooner or later. That's when he had told her he had brought his own bag of resources. Buried inside a small backpack (for the content), Dirk had everything he needed for basic living-in-a-friend's-house-for-a-few-days. Not only that, but many of his inventions included, mostly for later use in the rebellion. Afterward, they talked some more about not-so-important details and Roxy constantly asked questions. She didn't think she could stop just yet. At 2AM, they finally left the revolt plans for tomorrow and exchanged "Happy New Year's". Dirk had commented on her new hairstyle, which she smiled at despite the rather negative ties it had to him. When he thought about it, it was pretty scary, them both facing an all-powerful alien ruler with a fetish for sea creatures and sparkles, but they would win. It was in their blood.

In the morning, Roxy woke up with a headache. She was confused for a while because she hadn't drinked alcohol at all the day before but then it started to dawn on her. New Year's. Dirk. The plan. And her heart began to palpitate again. She didn't wait one second before rushing downstairs into the kitchen to quickly down something when- THUD.

"Excuse me!" She mumbled, looking up and seeing none other than Dirk freaking Strider. "Good morning." He greeted. "Morning." They stared at each other for some time before Dirk opened the fridge. "What have we got, huh?" He stared for several seconds and then closed it. "That's unfortunate." Roxy had sat on a stool facing the table and leaned her head down on it in misery. "Yeah, it's pretty misreable."

"You mean, miserable."

She blinked. "Yeah. That." She had no idea where that mess-up had come from.

Roxy had to admit the silence was a bit awkward.

"That doesn't matter. I came prepared." He finally let out, searching his backpack that seemed to include everything needed for living. After a couple seconds, he held up a plastic bag with something inside it. "PB&J" He said. Roxy thought she saw a hint of gladness on his face. "What is that?" She asked, squishing the content of the bag with her hands. He smiled. "Food." He took the bag from her and opened it before offering her one. Roxy took the bread in her hands and her mouth formed the shape of an 'O'. "I know, this is bread! What's inside?" Dirk ate the other one. "Peanut butter and jelly." He laughed. "You seriously don't know? You really have been living under a rock." She stared at him instead of saying 'duh'. "Well, excuse me for not being you." She took a bite and her eyes widened. "Fudgenuggets- this is good!"

"I know. I made it."

Those two days had more lessons and discoveries than any other day in Roxy's life. She was incredibly excited and felt herself going deeper and deeper into feelings that made her blurt out compliments she didn't even know were there. Dirk was becoming uncomfortable with them not because she was a girl, but because he knew that giving her what she wanted was not possible. Then, it was not possible...

TT: I feel like in a way you can destroy somebody with effusive praise.

TT: Or maybe I'm just projecting how I would feel about that kind of intense positivity coming at me. I dunno.

Despite the struggles that Roxy had to face most days of her life before Dirk came in, she was doing more than great now. Dirk was such a big help that she wouldn't want to even think of how he did it because it would only make her think about him more than she already did. She was just forever grateful he was there.

It hadn't been five days of constant adventuring both inside and out when Dirk decided it was time to get serious. "This has been fun." He started, way too serious for Roxy to take seriously. She could see right through his act and it made her lips twitch and her chest tighten to keep herself from laughing. He was imitating someone. "But it's about time we get things going." He puckered his lips into a pout and narrowed his orange eyes behind his shades, despite Roxy not being able to see that. She was waiting for a joke or an excuse to go out in the cold and play a game or another lecture on STS (Science, Technology, and Society) but the silence was too long. Dirk sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, bringing his glasses up in the process. She watched him carefully, smile fading in suspense that he was going to pull off a conversation on something she was not in the mood to have.

"I don't want to have this conversation, Dirk. I really don't." She said, resting her head on her fists. She saw him take his glasses off- the ones he never takes off. It was rare; the sight of his orange eyes.

She tried not to stare. Her mind was suddenly fogged and all she could think of was orange. The orange that deeply resonated from eyes that had that abnormal tone like hers did. She found them more beautiful than all the eyes she had ever seen, even if they weren't that shocking. When he cleared his throat, she realized she had been staring too long.

"Don't make a big deal of it, okay?" He said.

"Why would I? Mines are weirder." She immediately responded.

He looked at her for a few seconds with those precious eyes and she wondered why he was doing this to her. She wanted to kiss him. She really did. She thought she loved him so much. But what if that feeling was only because he was the only one left to love? And she could never have him. Why did he do this to her?

She knew she was meeting her downfall in fewer moments than it took to spell Supercalifra-

"I like you."

A moment of silence. She became more lost than she was before and her head started to thump. Not wanting to get the wrong idea, Roxy didn't even think anything anymore. The pressure of the moment just increased as time went by as her mind continues to echo- what?

What?

What?

"What?"

"I like you." He repeated.

She knew what he meant, but his previous denial of it wasn't fooling her.

"Hey, not cool." She said. "Don't say that."

"Why not?"

"It's a lie, of course, I'm not a fool, you know." She was starting to get angry.

"I never say things I don't mean."

Well, shit.

Roxy didn't know what to say to that. So, she didn't. For a few seconds after that, she thought of something to say.

"You're gay."

"Liking one guy doesn't make someone gay."

He keeps doing it. One after the other. He answered as if he was having an argument between someone who's point was to prove that he didn't like her. But he knew he would win because he did.

"It's the easy way to confess." He started. "Not coming up with something amazing and it has the same effect. The only thing you're trying to have across is that you like the other person and when you say so, the only thing they care about is the fact that you do."

Dirk had always told himself that his sexuality was limited to the same gender. He had always thought that homosexual was a word that described a part of him; a part he wasn't ashamed of, but that he now realized was way too vague of a word to describe his romantic inclinations.

What about bisexual? What about pansexual? What about the girls? He figured that just because someone had women genitals didn't mean he couldn't like them in such a way.

TT: But I still think confessions like that can change stuff between people. Like the way they act around each other.

Roxy? Her eyes had been closed. Her pretty pink eyes. She didn't fight it. She couldn't. This was what she had wanted. Wasn't it?

-

In the end, the food problem had been solved. She wasn't surprised, but her relief was great. "This is honestly extremely cool." And there wasn't a hint of doubt in her voice. At dawn, when they were ready to take the world back from the Queen's hands, they talked through their plan over and over again; going over tactics and reminders as the watch's every tick alerted their senses.

"You're gonna do great." They told each other, then themselves. At the edge of Roxy's island, there was an X on the ground marking the exact spot of one alien invasion a few years back. Roxy's sweet alien companions gathered around them as if this was the last gift they had to give their friend for so many years. It was the best they could do. Come and watch them go. "Just a little longer. We're coming to get you!" Dirk said and held up Roxy's hand as she held the Teleporter.

And then they jumped.

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly think this story went downhill because I started losing interest! If it hadn't been for my newfound motivation and all the hard work I put into this story months ago, I wouldn't even have finished it! I've been wanting to finish this for so long. At least I did, right? I feel like the confession was unnecessary, but I had to add something heartwarming like that! They didn't even kiss (or did they?) and this was supposed to be a ship story? Well, here I go again with my love for adventure! Even if it was short-lived and mostly up for imagination! Anyway, thanks for reading.


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